News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-29
LEECHEs GROWING POPULAR.
Used by BARRIERS for Black Eyes and
Physicians Find Them Handy.
from the st. Louis Republican,

from the st. Louis Republican,
The Republican reporter learned that
Charles Fl. Zahn made speciality OF
importing the queer little bloodsucker,
and visited him with the desire to learn
something new about his leechship.
81 have made leeches a study for some
wears" said Mr.. Zahn, as the novelty OF
the reporters question ceased to tickle
his fancy, and the sound died away
among the medicine bottles on the
shelves. "and [ have never been asked
to diyu1ge any of the odd knowledge
90 aco11ired." Rubbing his white fin
gers through his coal black hair and
looking far away as if examining the
Ieech ponds of Europe, he continued:
ssThere are about ten varieties of leeches
and they have about the same habits and
eat the same food; which is earth and
blood. The horse leech is usually larger
than the ordinary medicinal leech. 1t
is of greenish black color above, and
oreenish, with black spots below. The
teeth are blunt and are incapable of pen
etrating the human skin, but are said to
produce troublesome wounds where they
attempt to bite. They are found all
over Europe in almost every pond where
the water remains the year round. The
old English speckled leech, Hamburg
gray OF Russian leech are the most val
liable as an article of commerce. They
are imported via Hamburg from the
northern countries of Europe, such as
Russia, Norway, and Sweden and others.
The demand for this species has been so
great that they have become very scarce
and very few ever reach this country
now. Hamburg and French green
leeches, have brownish, ollve-green
backs, with six yellow or reddish longi-
tudinal bands around them. Their bel
Iy is of light, dirty green or vel
lowish-green, free from spots, but eX-
hibiting the two lateral stripes. There
are two varieties of this species in com
merce, one being collected in the cen
trail part of Europe, and called the Ger
man OF Hamburg green leech, and is the
largest and best known to the trade. The
other variety is collected in the more
northern countries, and is known as the
French OF Spanish green leech. They
are of less value, are smaller in size and
usually unhealthy, from a fraud prac-
tised on them by the natives preparatory
to exporting them; that is the
habit of filling them with blood to
make them look large. The Morocco
leech is expressed via Gibralter, and has
q roundish, somewhat fattened body,
with numerous traverse wrinkles. The
anterior end or head terminates with q
muscular disk, and the pOsteriOr end IS
also provided with similar but broader
disk, by means of which the animal fast
ems itself upon the objects of its prey.
The anterior end contains three jaws, all
of which are provided with two rows OF
numerous pointed teeth with which they
can make a triangular ineision through
the skin"
"How are they gathered and prepared
for expOrtation?'
''The gathering of the leeches is some
what novel. Horses are ridden around
in the ponds for a minute or so, and
then brought to the bank with hundreds
of these little blood-suckers sticking to
their legs; these, of course, are stripped
off at once before they have time to get
a good hold upon the horses legs. They
are then placed in a vegetable matter
mixed with little earth-must not con-
tain any limestone-and they are ready
for shipment"
Chow long does it take a leech to OBJ
tain its full growth z"
"About two years.
Chow long do tkey live?"
''The average age Of leech is about
five years
food ?"
''Put them in turf-or water and they
will live without any food. You can
keep them in water two years and never
give them anything to eat, and they will
grow all the same. They live on the
earthly substance in the water. If you
let one suck itself full of blood you can
place it in the water for two years, and
at the end of that time it will still have
blood remaining in it. If you let one
suck itself full of blood and then strip
it it will not suck blood again for three
months The egg isdeposited in a Tut
nous mass, which in turn forms chry-
sails from which ten to fifteen leeches
merge forth into life. "
"Have you many calls for leeches 2
Yes; they are coming in favor again
with the physicians. 1t matters not
how careful the physician may be, he
will cut deeper than is necessary and
infict unnecessary pain, whereas the
leech is painless after the first second ,
and can draw from one to four tea
spoonfuls of blood, while the cut will
only afford one teaspoonful.